Ken Calvert: “The bill under consideration has $21 million less for a major House priority than what was included in the fiscal year…”

“The bill under consideration has $21 million less for a major House priority than what was included in the fiscal year 2019 Interior and Environment bill passed in the last Congress. I am talking about doing more to prevent and stop catastrophic wildfires. For the past 4 fiscal years, the House has prioritized funding to improve our national forests and other Federal forestland through the Department of the Interior's and the Forest Service's hazardous fuels reduction programs. These programs use methods such as thinning, prescribed burns, and removing underbrush to help unhealthy forests return to a healthy condition. In fiscal year 2018, Congress provided $614 million for these programs. Last year, the House-passed bill increased that amount by $30 million for fiscal year 2019. The bill before us today, H.R. 266, only provides a $9 million increase. My motion to recommit will fix this major problem and save lives. The increase is offset by a reduction in the Bureau of Land Management's deferred maintenance account and the Forest Service's capital improvement and maintenance account. These infrastructure programs received significant increases in fiscal year 2018, and they have a large carryover balance. Mr. Speaker, my bottom line is that I cannot support a bill that does less to prevent catastrophic wildfires. My home State of California experienced deadly and record-setting wildfires last year.…”